Wednesday, November 30, 2011

It's the wonder and beauty of the season that inspires me. Blogging is like peering into little windows of creativity and life all around us. It's so incredible to me still after all these years of blogging , that when time permits I can sit down and enter into so many worlds and through pictures and words be transported right there. The picture above is something I found and it just relaxes me and takes me worlds away , it begins those thoughts of dreaming ....feeling the wonder like a child does... my inner child... and it'll be my inspiration for my own Christmas decorating this season. With this season also comes baking of the real kind and of course the miniatures continue always...I wanted to share some "baking love" with you today. You can just imagine inside that photo there's someone baking a wonderful cake or pie of some kind. I was inspired by the bakeries that I love to put together some photos that might bring you inspiration too...

I adore Magnolia Bakery in NYC, and this photo is why I love it. It brings me back to a simpler time, and when you can get in there without a crowd you feel as if you stopped into your grandmothers shop around the corner. Sweet lace adorns the windows and the cupcakes are as sweet as pure sugar... The scent of baking fills the air.... I wish computers gave off scents, you'd be in heaven. You just have to step in to get overwhelmed with the warmth of it all...

When I'm creating and baking my miniatures I bring myself into these places in my mind where I can pull up all the memories and feelings that made me happy and hopefully that comes through to you too...

I've just ordered cards that say: "Baked with Love by Cynthia's Cottage"... and to me, that says exactly how I feel each and every day when I'm creating..

{a miniature vintage styled bakery table I made}

Back in the Day Bakery is another favorite of mine, it's located in Savannah Ga. It has all the elements of an old fashioned bakery and the heart and soul of it comes from the owners caring about every detail and making you as deliciously happy and surrounded by charming sights as possible.I do believe cupcakes really can make you happy....

And that Bakeries are places that we can visit and walk away with little slices of things that make us smile...

Isn't Back in the Day Bakery so sweet in every way!? The images alone create inspiration of a huge magnitude if you're a lover of vintage style like me!

I took some of that inspiration a few weeks back and created a vintage styled pastel shabby chic bakery table in miniature....

Just a little bit of a "window" into my baking world...which comes from the real world of bakeries and places I love...

Pictures and places that have a vintage , charming , and nostalgic feel to them is what makes me smile the most...Living in NY gives me wonderful access to incredible and nostalgic bakeries, but they are everywhere and some are right around your corner. Visit them this season and have a cup of coffee , sit and relax and breathe in the scents and sounds of the holidays...watch the bustling shoppers pass by as you sit in a little cafe table by the window, all the while indulging in a little sweetness too...

Sweet Melissa's Bakery and Patisserie holds a very special place in my heart. It's located in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn and walking in for a sweet and a coffee before a long day ahead makes you feel like "Charm" should have been the name, but "sweet" is just as becoming for this favorite place of mine...

Well I hope I've given you a little bit of "baking love" to think about and enjoy! It was calorie free :) Sorry if I made you want to run out to your nearest and dearest bakery, BUT I think after you come back, you'll be happy and thank me :) If not, here are some virtual vintage inspired cupcakes for you to enjoy....

May the season ahead bless you with an abundance of love! and .....sweetness , of course :)

Next post: Christmas decorating in my home and in my miniature Summer Rose too!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Since I'm told I can't decorate the house before Thanksgiving, all I can say is: Thank goodness for minis :) Not that I always do what I'm told lol, but I suppose "they" are right, where would my extended Thanksgiving table for 20 fit if I brought out the Christmas decor now? Ahhhh, the peril's of living in a small cottage..... :){ok, I mean split level suburban home "decorated" like a cottage}. " If I build it , it will come".... right?

Well , since I was beginning to feel all those wonderful holiday pangs and started playing Christmas music last week, {just instrumental for motivation} I thought even though it's a tad early, I wanted so much to get creative with my favorite holiday! So here is the result:

My appropriately titled "Cottage Christmas" miniature collection:

I have to say, these items took so many hours to make but each one was a labor of love. I tried with this Cottage Christmas bakery/kitchen island table to make it versatile so that if you took each piece {besides the obvious Christmas items} and put it in a kitchen or bakery another season, it would still work and look beautiful. So each item is made to fit all seasons and has a sweet cottage look and feel to it.

And of course Christmas Red Velvet cupcakes are a must :) With candy cane shavings on top :)

Note: This collectors piece is currently in my Etsy shop as are the other items in the Cottage Christmas collection {as of drafting this post } and more will be coming in the smaller variety , but this table is the only one of the collection so another table won't be made again.

Here are some other Cottage Christmas sweeties that kept me happy and busy over the last couple of weeks...

I hope you liked my little tour of some of the new miniatures I've been busy with....It's back to the drawing board to come up with some more little Cottage Christmas treasures.

I love this time of year so much! To be able to bring my passion and love to the items I make feels like such a blessing and I am so thankful!

I'll leave you with a few pictures of "special order" items I've made over the last few weeks that made me smile and feel grateful too!

Now it's time to light the candles and relax a bit over the weekend....there's more busy work ahead in the next couple of weeks, but I couldn't ask for anything more .....With the quiet of the night and the colder air approaching, I know November has many more smiles and treasures just around the corner. I think because of it's anticipation November is the finest month of them all that way :)

November:

"How silently they tumble downAnd come to rest upon the groundTo lay a carpet, rich and rare,Beneath the trees without a care,Content to sleep, their work well done,Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly flyUntil they nearly reach the sky.Twisting, turning through the airTill all the trees stand stark and bare.Exhausted, drop to earth belowTo wait, like children, for the snow."- Elsie N. Brady, Leaves